Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Release Date Likely Not Aug. 26; Here’s Why

Recent reports suggest the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 may release Aug. 26. However, this prospective date is highly unlikely for one reason: Aug. 26 is a Saturday.

Manufacturers unveiling new flagship smartphones typically like to capitalize on the weekday news cycle to bombard the public with details of their product. While Samsung has announced smartphones on a weekend (the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 were unveiled on the Sunday preceding Mobile World Congress in their respective release years), it remains an uncommon strategy. To date, there have been no Galaxy Note smartphones released on a Saturday or Sunday.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Rumored To Be Announced On Aug. 26 In NYC

The Galaxy Note 7 was showcased Aug. 2 of last year, a Tuesday, while the Galaxy Note 5 was announced Aug. 13, 2015, a Thursday. These devices were announced at standalone events in New York City, which was a change of direction for Samsung. Prior to that most Galaxy Note launches coincided with the IFA conference in September, but were still announced mostly in the middle of the week.

The original report from the Korean publication Naver indicates the Galaxy Note 8 will likely also be unveiled at a New York event. This is plausible, considering the city has hosted Samsung’s last three Unpacked events.

Other recent rumors have suggested the Galaxy Note 8 could launch during the third or fourth week of August. So far, no other dates have been suggested outside of the 26th. Samsung has not yet confirmed the Galaxy Note 8 release date, but the manufacturer will likely choose a date that will give its product maximum exposure in the press before it is available in stores.

The date will likely be not too early, as to avoid comparisons to the Galaxy Note 7 launch, but no so late that the Note 8 could be overshadowed by the early-September IFA conference and the iPhone 8 launch. Reports also suggest the LG V30 may release in the September timeframe.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Release Date Could Be In Mid-August

There are claims that Samsung may forego features, such as an on-screen fingerprint sensor in order to get the Galaxy Note 8 to market on time with no safety issues. At this time, many details about the device remain hazy.

For the last two years, consumers have been accustomed to seeing Galaxy Note smartphones unveiled and released to market in August. Though the Galaxy Note 7 was announced much earlier than the Galaxy Note 5, both devices became available to customers at roughly the same time. The Galaxy Note 7 released to market Aug. 19, 2016, while the Galaxy Note 5 released Aug. 21, 2015.

Despite prior issues with the Galaxy Note 7 (which is expected to return to the market for the third time in July), there is no real reason for Samsung to vastly change the Galaxy Note 8 release date from the August timeframe.